et wars on
foot against the Florentines, and always without success; so that, in
lamenting over these failures, he was wont to complain that the mad
humours of the Florentines had cost him two millions of gold, without
his having anything to show for it. The Veientines and Etruscans,
therefore, as I have said already, were misled by false hopes, and in
the end were routed by the Romans in a single pitched battle; and any
who should look hereafter to prevail on like grounds and by similar
means against a divided people, will always find themselves deceived.

CHAPTER XXVI.--_That Taunts and Abuse breed Hatred against him who uses
them, without yielding him any Advantage._

To abstain from threats and injurious language, is, methinks, one of the
wisest precautions a man can use. For abuse and menace take nothing from
the strength of an adversary; the latter only making him more cautious,
while the former inflames his hatred against you, and leads him to
consider more diligently how he may cause you hurt.

This is seen from the example of the Veientines, of whom I spoke in the
last Chapter, who, to the injury of war against the Romans, added those
verbal injuries from which all prudent commanders should compel their
soldiers to refrain. For these are injuries which stir and kindle your
enemy to vengeance, and yet, as has been said, in no way disable him
from doing you hurt; so that, in truth, they are weapons which wound
those who use them. Of this we find a notable instance in Asia, in
connection with the siege of Amida. For Gabade, the Persian general,
after besieging this town for a great while, wearied out at last by its
protracted defence, determined on withdrawing his army; and had actually
begun to strike his camp, when the whole inhabitants of the place,
elated by their success, came out upon the walls to taunt and upbraid
their enemies with their cowardice and meanness of spirit, and to load
them with every kind of abuse. Stung by these insults, Gabade, changing
his resolution, renewed the siege with such fury that in a few days
he stormed and sacked the town. And the very same thing befell the
Veientines, who, not content, as we have seen, to make war on the Romans
with arms, must needs assail them with foul reproaches, advancing to
the palisade of their camp to revile them, and molesting them more with
their tongues than with their swords, until the Roman soldiers, who at
first were most unwilling to fight,